A Child's Delight
by Hikaru Irving
Summary: [Oneshot] While collecting power cores for the capacitor in the Tower of Rem, Luke discovers the wonder of fon machines.


Hikaru: This will be amusing only if you've played (and know) Dean from Wild ARMs V. 

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't make profits, etc.

--

"Oh, I know someone's going to say I'm boring."

Guy knelt at the silvery white fon machine, examining every inch of it. A power core rested atop its concave shell, completely empty and motionless, indicating no power. At least, Luke learned that much from watching Guy and his crazy mecha mode: if the power core is not spinning crazily, there is no power.

"What do you mean, Guy?" Luke asked anyway. Better to be safe than sorry.

Guy turned toward the others, hands on his hips. He looked disappointed, if only a little.

"It's the same as in the Meggiora Highlands. We have to replace the power core."

Anise folded her arms, heaving a deep sigh. Climbing all those stairs and ladders must've gotten to her faster than anyone else.

"So we just need to steal the power from something else, right?" She was already heading back toward the ladder.

Tear stopped her. "But with what?"

Jade smiled, adjusting his glasses. Smiles were supposed to have a warm, friendly feeling … but for some reason, Luke didn't like it much when Jade smiled.

"How about the golems we passed through?"

Luke wanted to groan, but refrained from doing so. He spent all that time carefully avoiding those pain-in-the-neck combat units to get this far, and they had to go back and smack 'em around anyway.

"All right let's go." Natalia gestured to Guy, "Guy, carry that—"

"Natalia!" Tear said harshly, her mouth stretched in a grim, thin line.

The princess of Kimlasca gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock. "Oh, I'm so sorry! You're not a servant anymore …"

Guy bowed graciously anyway, chuckling, "At your order, I'll gladly carry it, Your Highness."  
Jade shrugged, that smile still plastered on his abnormally pale face. Luke really did think that the Colonel resembled a vampire a fair amount of the time … "Guy is used to being treated like a servant by Emperor Peony, anyway."

With this Guy sighed, hanging his head. "Yeah. Even I realize how pathetic I am."

-

There was only one power core, and a great amount of golems running around in the observation deck that surrounded the elevator. It was decided that they would split into groups of three, and after dismantling the fon machines, Guy would reassemble them into the power core of the device above them.

Group One consisted of Tear and Natalia, Group Two Jade and Anise, and Group Three Guy and Luke. Each group moved to a different part of the deck to sweep for the golems.

"Here comes one now!" Guy said, drawing his sword. The weapons were quite useful in jamming fon machines' activities long enough to dismantle them.

Luke drew his own weapon, and he and Guy raced toward a golem whose power core glowed an ominous red. They wrestled with the thing for a while, and when Guy was busily taking apart the machine, Luke stared, eyes wide.

Guy noticed this—it was actually very unlike Luke to just stare bug-eyed at someone or something, and it was quite unnerving. Guy found a shiver running down his spine.

"Something wrong, Luke?"

Luke knelt down beside Guy, looking at the mechanical parts lying around like so much refuse. He picked up a single bolt, one that Guy had only just taken from the machine.

"I … don't want to destroy any more of these."

Guy raised an eyebrow, and froze for a moment. "Hmm … why not? You never liked fon machines that much." In fact, Luke was the one who acted most dejected whenever Guy got excited about seeing or handling fonic machinery.

Luke continued to examine the little bolt in his hand, turning it over in his palm, inspecting every little detail of it. It rather reminded Guy of a child seeing something very pleasant for the first time.

"I dunno … I guess I never noticed how … likeable fon machines could be."

Likeable? Guy could argue more than that! Fon machines were more than "likeable," they were _the_ greatest thing mankind had ever come up with in its entire history!

"What made you change your mind all of a sudden?" Guy asked, still taking apart the golem to get at its power source.

"Well, I guess it was these golems. They're so big and shiny and cool … I dunno! I just love golems!" A huge grin spread on Luke's face, and he looked at the bolt in his hand with a child's unconditional delight.

_Big, and shiny and cool … _Guy thought, a little confused. _Wow, I guess there's things about Luke even I don't know …_

--

Hikaru: Well, I planned for Luke to be more overboard with it, but … eh.


End file.
